Marti Cifuentes appointed new manager

[Aleksz]

4 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Really don't know what a lot of our fans expected. Constantly bleating about how poor the squad apparently is but then at the same time gobsmacked when we don't win every week.

 

Want youth players in but then moan when the lineup contains three academy lads.

 

Want the team to care more but then try and play down the players celebrating scoring goals.

 

Marti has done a lot in a short space of time and if he gets time (ironically I think he'll be afforded more time by the board than our fans) I think he'll get the playing side of the club back in decent shape, with a bit of identity and players that care.

Considering most of the glass half empties on here didn’t even see us troubling the play offs, we’re 3rd after 3 games after he barely had a pre season and he’s probably only now working out his best team. Not too bad, onwards and upwards. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

Just now, Aleksz said:

Considering most of the glass half empties on here didn’t even see us troubling the play offs, we’re 3rd after 3 games after he barely had a pre season and he’s probably only now working out his best team. Not too bad, onwards and upwards. 

People were adamant we were getting relegated

[Collymore]

Typical Foxestalk this. People wading into this thread with an absolute baseless love for Marti like he's the second coming of Sir Alex. Why can't people accept that he has underperformed in certain areas. Why does it have to be "he's doing a great job" and "everyone should show him love" no he's not and no we shouldn't. 

 

He deserves some praise for yesterday's performance, the best we've had so far and actually for the first time looked like the team he has been sprouting on about. We actually were still attacking and going for a fourth goal. 

 

However, there have been too many red flags with his team selection and style of play so far. One swallow doesn't make a summer but it's certainly promising and hopefully we're moving in the right direction. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 October 2025 by Collymore

[Claudio Fannieri]

1 minute ago, Collymore said:

Typical Foxestalk this. People wading into this thread with an absolute baseless love for Marti like he's the second coming of Sir Alex. Why can't people accept that he has underperformed in certain areas. Why does it have to be "he's doing a great job" and "everyone should show him love" no he's not and no we shouldn't. 

 

He deserves some praise for yesterday's performance, the best we've had so far and actually for the first time looked like the team he has been sprouting on about. We actually were still attacking and going for a fourth goal. 

 

However, there have been too many red flags with his team selection and style of play so far. One swallow doesn't make a summer but it's certainly promising and hopefully we're moving in the right direction. 

 

 

 

 

You could twist this the other way to say should he also be castigated after each and every game we don’t win when we are literally less than a quarter of the way into a season and he had 2/3 weeks of pre season and inherited a situation that was pretty precarious in terms of a squad where half wanted away or needed to be sold and a group of players who’s morale was rock bottom after such a demoralising relegation last season. Performances haven’t been vintage but is removing that soft underbelly, reintegrating players who wanted out and building a connection with the fans again.

 

All in all 3rd at this stage ain’t that bad considering all the above and we are currently ahead of both Saints and Ipswich who looked far more stable than we did coming into the season, so maybe he should get some credit and patience from the fanbase. It could have been a lot lot worse. Yes there have been bumps in the road but at least he is learning from those mistakes. 

[Collymore]

3 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

You could twist this the other way to say should he also be castigated after each and every game we don’t win when we are literally less than a quarter of the way into a season and he had 2/3 weeks of pre season and inherited a situation that was pretty precarious in terms of a squad where half wanted away or needed to be sold and a group of players who’s morale was rock bottom after such a demoralising relegation last season. Performances haven’t been vintage but is removing that soft underbelly, reintegrating players who wanted out and building a connection with the fans again.

 

All in all 3rd at this stage ain’t that bad considering all the above and we are currently ahead of both Saints and Ipswich who looked far more stable than we did coming into the season, so maybe he should get some credit and patience from the fanbase. It could have been a lot lot worse. Yes there have been bumps in the road but at least he is learning from those mistakes. 

That's a fair assessment and I understand there are some positives, but a fairly balanced, perhaps almost optimistic post like yours isn't what winds me up! 

[Chrysalis]

Is it a case of unreasonable expectations, expecting a 2.8 PPG and complete dominance of this league when we dont even have a proper goal scoring striker, and started the season with a squad devoid of confidence after 2 relegations in 3 seasons.
 

I dont think he has done enough to make me think he is great, but I think he is doing ok so far.  3rd is pretty good considering the state of the club and squad.

[lcfc sheff]

1 hour ago, CloudFox said:

To clarify: do you mean go for a new striker, or a new manager? 

striker! I'm all for Marti as long as we stay around the promotion spots. think he's got a lot more difficult a job than most can appreciate.

[lcfc sheff]

he's the second coming of sir Alex 

[Collymore]

1 minute ago, lcfc sheff said:

he's the second coming of sir Alex 

Should have said Nigel Pearson in all fairness. 

[lcfc sheff]

Just now, Collymore said:

Should have said Nigel Pearson in all fairness. 

That's too far buddy!

[Noahfence]

Did people actually think we’d be fighting relegation? Im not even glass half empty with Leicester, my glass is still in the cupboard but there’s not a chance we’d be near the bottom. 
 

Still think a lack of a striker will be what stops us from getting automatics. Unless of course we do something in January. 

[winteriscoming]

I think he’s done well in the short time he’s been here. Yes he’s made mistakes but we’ve still only lost 1 game. 
Imagine the mess we’d be in if Russell Martin had been appointed. 

[Collymore]

If you're an opposition coach you'd be licking your lips playing us wouldn't you? Basically take out wingers out of the game and that's all our attacking threat gone.

 

I think playing away we'll get more points this season because teams like Swansea will feel pressure to play their own way at home which is going to play into our own hands. 

 

I hope Marti can learn to mix it up at home. 

 

 

[Vlad the Fox]

I personally think he’s been doing a superb job and see a clear line in progression of the squad. 
 

He came in late in pre-season and had to oversea a demoralised squad through a turbulent pre season, keeping players (who we’d need) who wanted out on the periphery so he could bring them back in once the window shut. Plus regarding the picking of Skip and Soumare, I think it’s clear from early on that he didn’t see them as the midfield pairing he wants due to the signings he made in JJ and Ramsey.
 

Game by game the performances have been getting better, we’re seeing more fight and desire than we’ve seen in a while and the squad seem to be behind him.
 

He came in to steer a rocking boat and is gradually guiding it into calmer waters. I’m confident that when he leaves we will be in a far better position as a club then when he arrived

[CrazyKopCorner]

1 minute ago, Vlad the Fox said:

I personally think he’s been doing a superb job and see a clear line in progression of the squad. 
 

He came in late in pre-season and had to oversea a demoralised squad through a turbulent pre season, keeping players (who we’d need) who wanted out on the periphery so he could bring them back in once the window shut. Plus regarding the picking of Skip and Soumare, I think it’s clear from early on that he didn’t see them as the midfield pairing he wants due to the signings he made in JJ and Ramsey.
 

Game by game the performances have been getting better, we’re seeing more fight and desire than we’ve seen in a while and the squad seem to be behind him.
 

He came in to steer a rocking boat and is gradually guiding it into calmer waters. I’m confident that when he leaves we will be in a far better position as a club then when he arrived

I have been frustrated with him but he is working it out i.e play Ricardo, play Winks, play James, drop Soumare, do not play Skip, start Monga being the main recent positives. 

[Vlad the Fox]

Just now, CrazyKopCorner said:

I have been frustrated with him but he is working it out i.e play Ricardo, play Winks, play James, drop Soumare, do not play Skip, start Monga being the main recent positives. 

Yes, I think that was always the plan but circumstances meant it had to be gradual. It’s obvious to all us, it would be to him. 

[jv1]

21 minutes ago, CrazyKopCorner said:

I have been frustrated with him but he is working it out i.e play Ricardo, play Winks, play James, drop Soumare, do not play Skip, start Monga being the main recent positives. 

Yep agreed and if we had a decent left back and forward im more than confident he has seen enough of Thomas and daka/Ayew that he wouldn’t pick them either - unfortunately no choice till January - he seems to be getting 80% right and I’ll take that for now - results means everything- finding ways to win in this horrendous league will give him the time to hopefully get it right 

 

[CrazyKopCorner]

1 hour ago, Vlad the Fox said:

Yes, I think that was always the plan but circumstances meant it had to be gradual. It’s obvious to all us, it would be to him. 

Yes he doesn't strike you as a fool like our last 2 incumbents. 

 

I like his honesty after games. 

 

We were so complacent Tuesday night and he came right out and said it - He sees the same game as we do which I've been impressed by not like the last 3 twonks we've had at the helm 

Edited 5 October 2025 by CrazyKopCorner

[Dahnsouff]

36 minutes ago, Collymore said:

If you're an opposition coach you'd be licking your lips playing us wouldn't you? Basically take out wingers out of the game and that's all our attacking threat gone.

 

I think playing away we'll get more points this season because teams like Swansea will feel pressure to play their own way at home which is going to play into our own hands. 

 

I hope Marti can learn to mix it up at home. 

 

 

Wasn't yesterday an embryonic mixing it up approach? As we seemed more capable in the middle, rather than just relying on the wings. specifically down to JJ , following the recent welcome return of Winks.

[winteriscoming]

I want to see more of the younger players featuring at least on the bench. Nelson and Page should definitely be in the squad. 

[UniFox21]

In the upcoming games I'd prefer Marti trial using Aluko at fullback in rotation with Ricardo. Moving Hamza back to a box to box we bring on to help kill and manage games rather than Skipp. 

[FrankieADZ]

1 minute ago, UniFox21 said:

In the upcoming games I'd prefer Marti trial using Aluko at fullback in rotation with Ricardo. Moving Hamza back to a box to box we bring on to help kill and manage games rather than Skipp. 

tbf i think we'd be all for that, with say Aluko at LB and Ricky P at RB, since they both suit the MC style more than Bambi on Ice Luke Thomas(who frankly has been woeful for the most part of this season)

 

on MC, some of our fans are expecting the earth from him, when hes come here to try and build, and frankly atm its not going to be easy to do so, as if you look at it from building a house view point, hes clearing the rubble from previous and trying to build better foundations etc

Im not expecting miracles, i fully expect this season to have alot of pain in it, because there has been yrs of mismanagement and that will not be cleared within a month or 2

but im not living in cloud cuckoo land like some

[Charl91]

1 hour ago, Collymore said:

If you're an opposition coach you'd be licking your lips playing us wouldn't you? 

 

 

 

Would you? We've lost once in 9 games.

 

Not sure many opposition coaches are salivating at an 11% chance of winning.

[Collymore]

4 minutes ago, Charl91 said:

Would you? We've lost once in 9 games.

 

Not sure many opposition coaches are salivating at an 11% chance of winning.

Yeah but with our wage bill we should be walking the league whether you like it or not. 

[5waller5]

1 hour ago, Collymore said:

If you're an opposition coach you'd be licking your lips playing us wouldn't you? Basically take out wingers out of the game and that's all our attacking threat gone.

 

I think playing away we'll get more points this season because teams like Swansea will feel pressure to play their own way at home which is going to play into our own hands. 

 

I hope Marti can learn to mix it up at home. 

 

 

“Take our wingers out of the game”

 

Presumably by man marking and having someone on cover, or basically doubling up on them…. Freeing up loads of space in the middle of the pitch. 
 

Taking our wingers out of the game comes at a cost to the opposition, and for once I think we have a manager that would adapt and exploit the tactic’s cost